Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is breathtakingly gorgeous and has easily the best gameplay in the series to date.
It's also a much needed redemption after the embarrassment that was the 2016 reboot. It's the best game in the series since A Crack in Time, but it's hardly had any competition, between the 2016 reboot and experimental spinoff entries like All 4 One. The only decent game in that time was Into the Nexus, but that one was a DLC-sized game that couldn't really compare to full-sized entries like A Crack in Time.
Rift Apart finally continues the story from where Into the Nexus left off back in 2013. Which is good, because we'd been waiting for so long, but at the same time, it does bother me a bit that the story of the lombaxes and the dimensions started in 2007 with Tools of Destruction, and it still hasn't reached its conclusion. Yes, that's right, Rift Apart isn't the end of the story. It's a little exhausting at this point. I would honestly have been totally happy if it had ended with A Crack in Time because that game ended so nicely.
I did bristle a bit at Rivet's constant snark at first, but she began to grow on me. Ratchet, however, I found disappointingly flat, and Clank's severe self-doubt became very grating because if my memory serves me correctly, he already overcame his lack of confidence in one of the previous games. Writing has never been the strong suit of Ratchet & Clank, but I found the characters particularly dull in this game compared to others in the series. I also seriously wish Insomniac would finally put Dr Nefarious to rest. He was funny the first time. That was nearly 20 years ago. There's nothing more to explore with his character and his motivations are the same shit every time. Surely someone has enough imagination to come up with a new villain!
Aside from the story, though, everything about this game is immensely polished and it's an absolute blast to play. The graphics are jaw-dropping and I enjoyed the exploration that was built into the levels. The series' trademark combat is the smoothest it's ever been, but the new addition of the phase shift makes it even better. Being able to use the hoverboots at any time once you receive them is also a big upgrade over previous games. Rift Apart's weapon roster is refreshingly strong, introducing some cool new weapons while bringing back old favourites. I did find, though, that some weapons were redundant as they did basically the same job as something else, so I think a few could have been axed from the lineup and not missed.
In summary, Rift Apart is an essential Ratchet & Clank game, and I'm glad to see this series is still carrying the torch for PS2 style action games, even though its edges have been gradually rounded off over the years.
It's also a much needed redemption after the embarrassment that was the 2016 reboot. It's the best game in the series since A Crack in Time, but it's hardly had any competition, between the 2016 reboot and experimental spinoff entries like All 4 One. The only decent game in that time was Into the Nexus, but that one was a DLC-sized game that couldn't really compare to full-sized entries like A Crack in Time.
Rift Apart finally continues the story from where Into the Nexus left off back in 2013. Which is good, because we'd been waiting for so long, but at the same time, it does bother me a bit that the story of the lombaxes and the dimensions started in 2007 with Tools of Destruction, and it still hasn't reached its conclusion. Yes, that's right, Rift Apart isn't the end of the story. It's a little exhausting at this point. I would honestly have been totally happy if it had ended with A Crack in Time because that game ended so nicely.
I did bristle a bit at Rivet's constant snark at first, but she began to grow on me. Ratchet, however, I found disappointingly flat, and Clank's severe self-doubt became very grating because if my memory serves me correctly, he already overcame his lack of confidence in one of the previous games. Writing has never been the strong suit of Ratchet & Clank, but I found the characters particularly dull in this game compared to others in the series. I also seriously wish Insomniac would finally put Dr Nefarious to rest. He was funny the first time. That was nearly 20 years ago. There's nothing more to explore with his character and his motivations are the same shit every time. Surely someone has enough imagination to come up with a new villain!
Aside from the story, though, everything about this game is immensely polished and it's an absolute blast to play. The graphics are jaw-dropping and I enjoyed the exploration that was built into the levels. The series' trademark combat is the smoothest it's ever been, but the new addition of the phase shift makes it even better. Being able to use the hoverboots at any time once you receive them is also a big upgrade over previous games. Rift Apart's weapon roster is refreshingly strong, introducing some cool new weapons while bringing back old favourites. I did find, though, that some weapons were redundant as they did basically the same job as something else, so I think a few could have been axed from the lineup and not missed.
In summary, Rift Apart is an essential Ratchet & Clank game, and I'm glad to see this series is still carrying the torch for PS2 style action games, even though its edges have been gradually rounded off over the years.